CHARLOTTE, N.C. — David Pearson received his spot in the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Wednesday, earning the most votes a year after the 105-race winner was surprisingly excluded from the inaugural class.

Pearson received 94 percent of the vote and was the first of the five inductees called by NASCAR chairman Brian France. He immediately received a standing ovation.

"There was no sting about the first place, a lot of people thought there was, but I knew three weeks before I wasn't going in," said Pearson, who was joined in this year's class by three-time Daytona 500 winner Bobby Allison, Petty Enterprises patriarch Lee Petty, two-time champion and broadcaster Ned Jarrett, and pioneer Bud Moore.

Three-time champ Darrell Waltrip said he knew by the time the third name was called that he had not made the cut.

Waltrip, who was on hand as an analyst for Speed Channel, looked crestfallen when Petty was announced. "I knew right there that I was probably not going to make it," said Waltrip, who had campaigned for his selection. "Five people. Kind of hard to fit. Somebody was going to be the odd man out."

Basketball

Chinese apologize after on-court attack

The Chinese Basketball Association apologized for a brawl that forced play to be suspended in an exhibition game against Brazil in Beijing.

China's players were angry over a foul and play became increasingly rough until punches were thrown. China's players then attacked the Brazilians as they headed off the court.

The Chinese team has been ordered to attend classes on sportsmanship and individuals will be penalized after an investigation, its association said.

NBA:LeBron James was held out of the Heat's 90-76 exhibition loss to the Hornets because of a tight right hamstring.

Olympics

Glove-salute medalist to auction gold, shoes

Tommie Smith is selling the 200-meter gold medal he won at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, where his black-gloved salute on the podium shocked the sports world.

The sprinter has put the medal and his shoes up for auction with M.I.T. Memorabilia. Bidding starts at $250,000, and the sale is set to close Nov. 4.

M.I.T.'s Gary Zimet said Smith, 66 and living in Georgia, is selling for the money but also because he wants to share it with the public.

Smith and bronze medalist John Carlos were expelled from the Games after they raised their fists in a human-rights protest during the national anthem.

Et cetera

Soccer: Shawn Chin scored on a penalty kick and goalkeeper Jeff Attinella recorded his fifth straight shutout to give USF men's coach George Kiefer his 100th career coaching win, 1-0 over host DePaul. Kiefer is now 100-49-22.

Tennis:Roger Federer, playing his first match since the U.S. Open, hit a successful between-the-legs shot in his 6-3, 6-4 victory over American John Isner at the Shanghai Masters. Federer joined top-ranked Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic in the third round. Andy Roddick retired from his match vs. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez because of a thigh injury while up 6-3, 2-3.

Track: Former UNC assistant coach Antonio Pettigrew, who admitted to doping and was stripped of an Olympic gold medal, committed suicide by overdosing on diphenhydramine, a drug common to sleeping pills, according to an state medical examiner's autopsy report. Pettigrew, 42, was found dead in his locked car in August.